Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Parable of the Thermostat

To what shall I compare this generation?

It is like the tenants in an apartment building that was heated by a central boiler during cold winter weather. The boiler gave out too much heat for some people's comfort, and they could not control the temperature in their own apartments. So the tenants petitioned the landlord to have electric heat installed, with a separate thermostat in each flat. The landlord complied, making each resident responsible to pay for his own heating bill.

What happened next? After a month-long cold snap, the residents received their electric bill and were shocked at the expense. To make ends meet, most of them had to dial down their thermostats and keep their apartments uncomfortably cool. The cost was still high, and the landlord spent more time than ever dealing with malfunctioning thermostats and heating registers.

Let him who has earmuffs...

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